Martin Lyriq Bent was born in Kingston, Jamaica,[1] and moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, when he was six years old.

[2] Bent has starred in various lead and supporting roles both in film and television since he began his acting career in the early 2000s.

After appearing on several television shows, Playback Magazine listed him as one of Canada's top rising stars.

[3] Bent attracted further attention when he co-starred in the hit horror films Saw II and Saw III as Officer Daniel Rigg.

In 2015 Bent portrayed Chekura Tiano in the television miniseries The Book of Negroes, based on the best-selling novel by Lawrence Hill.